Education

Educational Experiences at the Delaware History Museum and the
Jane and Littleton Mitchell Center for African American Heritage

The Delaware History Museum and the new Mitchell Center for African American Heritage offers fascinating educational programs.

Delaware History Museum and Mitchell Center for African American Heritage programs will enhance your classroom curriculum by teaching students about Delaware’s history through hands-on, inquiry based, active learning. Students will explore and experience important events and themes in state and national history.

All school programs enhance and reinforce Common Core Curriculum Standards and Delaware State Content and Framework Standards.

To schedule a school tour or outreach, please call (302) 295-2388 or email rfay@dehistory.org

On-Site Programs*

Delaware: One State, Many Stories

Experience the history of the First State from multiple perspectives.

In the Delaware History Museum, students will Discover Delaware. Experience and explore the First State’s unique past, present and future.In the Mitchell Center for African American Heritage, students will Journey to Freedom. Discover African Americans’ struggle for human rights and dignity in Delaware and in the nation as a whole.

$2.00 per student, all ages$1.00 per student when combined with a school program.

Storytime at the Museum

Students will enjoy the vibrant atmosphere of the Delaware History Museum as museum educators engage them with age-appropriate, multicultural storybooks.

After the story children will make a simple craft or participate in an interactive session related to the program theme. Themes change monthly.

March: Women's History Month -

• Fly High! The Story of Bessie Coleman by Louise Borden

April: Earth Day -

• Bee &Me by Alison Jay

$3.00 per student, 40 minutes – 1 hour
Grades: Preschool-K

African American Heroes in Delaware

In this interactive program students will discover remarkable African-Americans from Delaware who achieved personal greatness and expanded opportunities for others. What were their keys to their success? How did their personal philosophies, evidenced by their actions, inspire them to break barriers and overcome obstacles based on race or gender? The Delaware History Museums exhibitions, Discover Delaware and Journey to Freedom, will serve as a backdrop as students portray the stories of church and community leader Peter Spencer, freedom-seeker John Tillman, baseball Hall of Famer Judy Johnson, civil rights lawyer Louis Redding, artist Ed Loper, and basketball star Val Whiting.

First Contact: The Lenni Lenape and New Sweden

In 1638, Sweden established a colony in present day Delaware. The settlers encountered the Lenape, who had been living here for centuries. How did the Lenape and the settlers interact? Was there conflict or did the two cultures find a way to work together? Students will learn about the lifestyles of the Lenape and the “first contact” with Swedish settlers through discussion, artifact analysis, and participation in a trade activity illustrating the economic relationship that characterized the beginning of the colony of New Sweden.

Choosing Independence and Fighting for Freedom

Delaware played an important role in the political and military events that helped shape the outcome of the American Revolution. Students will bring the history of Delaware to life by stepping into the roles of important Delaware political figures and soldiers, and by re-enacting the only battle that took place in Delaware during the Revolutionary War using the original board game War Comes to Delaware.

$3.00 per student, 1/2 day; $6.00 per student for full day
Grades: 4-8

The Underground Railroad in Delaware

What was it like to seek freedom on the Underground Railroad? Students explore this question as they learn about freedom seekers and the brave men and women, both enslaved and free, who made this region one of the most successful routes to freedom in the years before the Civil War. The challenges faced by those involved in the Underground Railroad are explored and reinforced through primary source analysis and a visit to Old Town Hall jail cells (weather permitting).

North vs. South in Delaware

Delaware occupied a unique position during the Civil War, a slave state fighting to preserve the Union. How did Delawareans prepare for war, what roles did they play during the war? Students will explore Delaware during the Civil War, step into the shoes of Delaware citizens who participated in the war, and analyze reproduction artifacts to learn about a day in the life of a Civil War soldier.

#CitizenActivists #makeachange

What constitutes civic engagement? Why does it matter? Is civic engagement worth the effort?The rights established by the 1st Amendment are imperative to the workings of American democracy and essential for citizenship in a diverse society. Along with these rights come responsibilities. Citizens have the right and the responsibility to participate in governing our nation and they may choose among many different ways of doing this. Citizens fulfill their responsibilities by active participation in government and society in a multitude of ways, to engage with and even challenge their elected representatives, and to develop and communicate their values and opinions.

Examining the rights set forth in the 1st Amendment and utilizing primary sources related to the topics of immigration, voting rights, desegregation, and eminent domain, students will explore the ways in which Delaware citizens have been active participants in the political process throughout Delaware’s history. Through inquiry and discussion, students will apply what they have learned by creating tweets in favor of or opposed to each issue and discuss additional ways students can become citizen activists.

The Civil Rights Movement in Delaware and the Nation

Explore with your students some of the key events, significant places, organizations and people who contributed to the Civil Rights Movement. Using examples of student-led protests, participants will learn how mass movements in the 1960s were defined by young people to address the social problems created by racial discrimination that they identified and directly experienced. By examining primary documents related to African American and Delaware history, including photographs and newspapers, students will discover how strategies for collective action developed and what community-based activists achieved.

* Most onsite programs can be scheduled as Outreach please call (302) 295-2388 or email rfay@dehistory.org

Outreach Programs

First People in the First State

The Lenni Lenape made a life from Delaware’s natural resources long before European colonists arrived. Through inquiry, hands-on activities, and an investigation of artifacts, students will learn about the society and culture of Delaware’s First People.

Delaware: A State of Immigrants

By the early 20th century, millions of people had immigrated to America, and many had made Delaware their new home. Through discussion, role play, and activities, students will learn about the experiences of Jewish, Russian, Italian, and Irish immigrants in their journey to America and the particular contributions they made to Delaware history.

Ahoy Matey! Jolly Rogers in Delaware

Pirates came to Delaware?! Students will learn about pirate crews who voyaged to Delaware in the 1600 and 1700s, through participation in activities that reveal how pirates really lived! This program engages students in a popular topic, while encouraging them to use their critical thinking and imagination skills.